"Bring it on!"
I raised my submachine gun and willed it to change form into the Dire Wolf Double Barrel Shotgun. The shield this guy can project may have high stats, though it won't matter if I can just pierce it to attack my actual target. Although I was still a bit too far to be in effective range, I don't exactly wish to exert the needed energy to get close only to possibly get pummeled.
"Say, that is no ordinary weapon, is it?" I heard the voice of Gorlith speak up.
I turned back to face him to see him actually seem pretty apprehensive. Or I could not tell much with the heavy armor he had. Either way, I think the fact that I changed my weapon form suddenly probably shot up a lot of alarm bells in his head.
"No, it's a legendary weapon. This is pretty normal for me to do as I am its user," I said as I now turned my aim from the robed figure to him.
"Legendary…? Weapon…? There is no such thing! The forefathers gave no mention of any such weapon existing!" He then turned his head to the side, maybe a look of disgust. Before continuing, "Furthermore, of such a horrid weapon, why would any great blacksmith commit such treason to create such a preposterous weapon?"
"I mean it's not like having a big door is any better…" I heard Faith snicker from behind me.
"What did you say you!… you….?" He seemed to falter slightly trying to think of something.
I was about to speak up, though from behind him, a large group of more people appeared. Great, reinforcements. My shoulders unconsciously slumped in dismay. It's not like the sight of seeing my seemingly strongest attack do nothing was not enough to discourage me.
"What exactly are you all?" He finally spat out.
What kind of question is that?
"What?" I quickly responded with a face of confusion.
"I lack to see any distinct features that would usually point at what type of Demi-Beast you are. But… I see nothing? No ears, no tail, no… anything…" He elaborated in a confused tone.
"Maybe because we are not Demi-Beasts," Faith spoke up behind me.
The Hero's head perked up slightly, "So then, what are you all?" He questioned.
"Humans, we are humans. From Earth, but we are Heroes, legendary ones at that," I shrugged in explanation.
"What type is that? Where is this Earth? Would you being humans explain your rather… shabby attire?" He asked, with a tone of curiosity.
"It's a long story, just know we are definitely not from here," I elaborated.
"If you all are Legendary Heroes then does that-"
"I think that's enough talk," a female voice spoke up from behind the hero which grabbed his shoulders.
The source of what I assume was the person who spoke up came up next to Gorlith. They seemed much less armored and from the look of it seemed to be a fox beast? She wore what resembled a robe but one that seemed to lack a hood, I feel like I have seen such an outfit before but I can't put my finger on what it's called. Maybe if I had night vision I could tell, though I don't want to risk them trying something when I change weapon forms. Not sure how to explain it, but the face structure and the tail seemed to resemble that of a fox so that's what I will assume.
"Hero Gorlith, it's already apparent that these heretics are trying to charm you with their talk. They are clearly spies with dangerous weaponry sent from across the border," She turned to the direction we were heading on the plane initially and gritted her teeth before continuing, "We need to contain or do away with them as soon as we can!"
Oh boy, she's one of those ultra-zealots… damn, and here I thought I could maybe talk my way out of things for once. Though priestess? I wonder how religiously ingrained this society is sometimes, but considering the mannerisms and references to great beings, they are probably very ingrained.
"R-Right! My apologies, Priestess Ceroba, I will get on it now," Gorlith exclaimed before turning back to me, "Clearly you all seem outmatched, even with your… Legendary Weapons, I recommend surrendering now!"
As much as I hate to admit it, he seems right. My strongest attack, that being my Crystal Shot X, quite literally shattered at contact with his magic shields. I doubt anything else I threw at him would work. But… It's not like we can surrender, from the looks of it, we are not too far from the border. And on top of that, once he finds out what we did in the capital, I'm pretty sure all four of us will get the French queen special.
"Yeah, no can do, sorry," I said, trying to sound as confident as possible.
"You think you can stand up to me and my entourage?" He boldly stated.
"No, but it's not like I have much choice now, do I?" I shrugged.
"That's what it would seem like," He huffed as he readied his fighting stance.
The others seemed to have gotten the memo as Conrad lined up next to me, along with the Tank Nickoli was in. Faith rolled up last, this time opting to use the smaller bi-plane forms she initially got, probably for better mobility. I think me and her both realized they were not just going to let her take off.
"Hey, Conrad, do you have any plan on how we might be able to give them the slip?" I leaned over to whisper to Conrad.
Confused, he raised his eyebrow before responding, "Give them the slip…?" He questioned in a perplexed tone.
I mentally sighed before explaining, "Do you have a plan on how we could escape?" I rephrased.
He turned to me carrying a very solemn look in his eyes before turning away. I guess that's a no. What to do? I mean we can't fly off, and from the looks of it, any attacks we do seem to just be ineffective. I doubt I'll be able to trip him up or anything as his bulky and imposing figure would probably rip my rope in an instant.
As I was contemplating and trying to think of a solution, I felt a hand on my right shoulder which spooked me for a moment. I turned to see that the owner of the said hand was Faith. She looked up at me slightly before signaling with her head towards my weapon. Unbeknownst to me, my own hands were unconsciously shaking as they gripped my shotgun.
"You know, we might make it out of here if you were able to land a shot," She joked uneasily before letting go.
"Right…, will do," I said quietly as I did my best to steady myself.
I guess this whole situation is really starting to get to me. Even Faith is starting to take notice. Is this the first time I felt like this? No, it's just that usually, the situation had some caveat that led to me making it out. But this? I… I don't know… This actually seems like a dead end, was this the end? I don't want it to be, but for that not to be, I have to fight, even if it may seem hopeless.
As I lifted my head to face Gorlith once more, more people appeared beside him. While I couldn't make out much due to the muted colors from the environment, I already knew that this Fox Beast Priestess named Ceroba was probably a spell caster or something religious-related. There was the robed person that we initially targeted that seemed to control plants, or earth, or whatever. I really should have asked Conrad for an in-depth on magic even if I can't use it; it would have made this situation better in retrospect.
There was another lightly armored beast alongside the aforementioned three, wearing a pretty generic tunic. Though I will admit for a tunic, he seemed pretty armored, especially with the added variety of metals and gems. I couldn't make out a species as he had a helmet on, but I could make out he just had a sword in a sheath on his right side. There were numerous other figures lingering in the back but none stepped up for an odd reason.
"Have you prepared your preparations, you so-called Legendary Hero?" Gorlith howled.
Wait, was he not attacking on purpose due to me conversing with Conrad and Faith?
"Oh, were you waiting for me?" I questioned as I raised my right hand to point at myself.
Gorlith turned to the robed figure to his side before turning back to me, "Yes, is it not proper courtesy to wait for one's opponent to battle?" he asked.
So he was. I guess this a chivalrous society to an extent, though this might only apply to this hero guy as many others just seem to run swinging at me half the time. Though I will note that the Priestess Ceroba was nudging on the side of Gorlith, but she was being waved off for some reason by him.
I was about to respond before I was tapped on the side by Conrad's hand; he nonverbally signaled me back. His eyes seemed pleading to an extent for some reason, I guess this was important.
"Just a moment!" I yelled back as I turned my head to Conrad.
"Very well, but be swift," I heard Gorlith scoff before I lost my focus on his voice.
"What, Conrad?"
"I um, don't have any weapon on me," He muttered dejectedly.
Wait, was he not using a weapon this whole entire time? I mean it sort of makes sense since he was inside the Tank with Nickoli most of the time anyway.
"You can't be serious, can you?" I said in slight disbelief and for some reason humor.
He looked uneasy as he slightly looked away and nodded, "I am, I remember you mentioning how you sometimes get a wild assortment of items from monsters that get stored in your gem… weapon, would you mind lending me a weapon if you have one?"
Guess he was right in that I suppose. At least we had some fallback, though it would have helped if I knew sooner. I opened my status menu and checked my inventory for anything that might be useful to Conrad. He said he preferred axes whenever he trained so I tried to look for any, though the only one I did have was just for chopping tree purposes.
"Next best thing, Conrad," I said as I ejected a short sword with a red hue from my gem before handing it to Conrad.
I thought I heard a voice from the side Gorlith was on after handing my sword to Conrad, but I ignored it. After all, who knows how much damage my ears have taken throughout my journey? I'm definitely long overdue for an infirmary visit at this point with the constant pain I have everywhere.
"Thanks," he mused as he began to inspect the sword, "Say, do you have another sword similar to this?"
"Uh, maybe…?" I answered, unsure.
I opened my inventory and, sure enough, after a bit of searching, I found a similar-looking, albeit slightly smaller, sword with the same coloring. Now, actually checking the stats out before just handing it to him, it seemed pretty mediocre, not having anything remarkable other than its blue hue. I'm pretty sure that's from the material, though.
I ejected another sword from my gem before handing it to Conrad's free hand. This time I definitely heard voices speak up from Gorlith's side, which, when I glanced over, died down almost instantly. Nosey people these days.
"So then, are you planning on dual-wielding then?" I asked Conrad in a curious tone.
He swung his sword lightly in either hand, testing it out before responding, "Yes, I'm decently proficient in such forms of combat as well. While not my favorite, I can't complain due to circumstances," he said with a tone of amusement as he gestured at Gorlith and his posse slightly.
I gave a slight chuckle, "Circumstances indeed, Conrad. Circumstances indeed."
Guess this whole journey up to here was just circumstances and just stumbling from place to place. Nothing was really planned or going our way in the slightest.
"Show me a good time out there, Conrad!" I exclaimed suddenly.
He responded confidently, "Depends on what's a good time, for me?" He put the sword with a red hue in a nonexistent scabbard before quickly slicing out from it, "or them?" Saying the last part more seriously.
"Are you two both about finished?" Ceroba snarkily questioned.
I steadied my stance and gave the best resolute grin I could manage, "Yes, Hero Gorlith, we are ready."
While we may be outmatched, it would not do good to falter. While it is a front, trembling and cowering in the face of insurmountable odds did nothing to help you out. Especially not in this rotten world where everybody wants to kill you.
"Great, now then, Hero…?" Gorlith said, at a seeming loss for words.
I spoke up, "Alex, Hero Alex," I heard a small chuckle from Conrad, but I ignored it, "To my left, Sir Conrad and Hero Nickoli, then to my right, Hero Faith,"
I turned to my left and gave a slight nod to Conrad and Nickoli's Tank, to which Conrad responded with a confident grin as he prepared his stance. I turned to my right to give a glance at Faith, to which she responded with a nod of her own. I turned back to Gorlith and his group and prepared my stance.
"I see. Well then, Hero Alex, I wish you luck, as I do not intend on losing!" He howled dominantly.
I did one final check-up on my status. Health? Half. Everyone else is full or near full, surprisingly. I did not have the weird swirly thing next to my health at least anymore. However, I doubt that it's going to help much for what's coming. Maybe this is all just a game, a game that seemed to be rigged from the start. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if that's not far from the truth, to be honest. Not like what I think matters though, as I'm pretty sure a game over for me is death.
"Likewise, may the best hero win," I said with a smirk.
As we stared off for a few short moments, I felt a trickle of rain, then more, and then almost as quickly as the trickle started, it began to pour down. I got a really bad shiver across my whole body which made some pain relapse once more, though it did also help wake up my muscles. However, while the rain woke me slightly, it seemed to dull everything to a near post-apocalyptic atmosphere, especially with all the bomb craters littered about. Almost as if there was a nuclear war here, though that's a bit of a stretch.
Considering what lies ahead, I don't think me being filled with determination is enough to save me. I did one final check-up on my status, health? Half, everyone else is full or near full, surprisingly. I did not have the weird swirly thing next to my health at least anymore. However, I doubt that it's going to help much for what's coming.
Almost spontaneously, Gorlith charged forward straight at me with a near-deafening scream, shielding forward. I steadied my aim and fired twice, instead of a satisfying hit like I expected with the armor-piercing like I expected, I saw the pellets merely ricochet and smash into the ground. However, I was not caught off guard as I unloaded 4 more times into the giant charging shield flying straight at me, only for the same result.
I moved to my side in an attempt to dodge. While the wet dirt was making me slightly lose my grip on the ground, I did my best to steady myself. However, it was only in vain as I felt a fist connect with my chest firmly, knocking the wind out of me. As I was knocked down onto the ground after staggering a few steps back, I tried to catch myself to no avail.
I began to cough a little violently almost as soon as his fist flew by and continued with its host. In a quick panic, I checked my vitals, only to see they had dropped a fair bit? Before I was able to regain my bearings completely, however, I saw a silhouette of a towering figure, and I was only just barely able to roll my body to the side to avoid the small explosion of dirt where my body was lying before. Okay, that was close.
I was not given a chance to decide how to counter as I saw giant rocks flying straight at where I was. Springing back, I was able to avoid the collision of said rocks with my face, but the fragments that followed from its contact with the ground sent small pebbles stabbing me like shrapnel from a grenade. Almost on cue once the pebbles stopped pelting me, I saw a giant lumbering figure begin to dawn on me. I quickly bounced back once more, much to the pain of my body, and used the momentum to get back on my feet.
As quickly as I was able to get back on my feet, a metal surface promptly slammed into me. For a brief moment, I felt the contact. I felt cold, not in a good way, in a way I just got hit by a literal metal door. Knocking me back, though, through sheer will, I was able to not just collapse on the ground. I grimaced slightly as I tried to regain my balance from the blow. My body was exploding with pain, and my ears were ringing to the tune of an alarm clock, but that was the least of my worries.
If trying to play from a distance is not going to work, I need to switch it up. I changed my weapon to my favorite revolver as I quickly backstepped to the right to avoid an incoming slam once more. It's almost a little predictable… though I'm definitely not in a position to underestimate him in the slightest now, am I?
"You sure hit as hard as a truck when you land a hit," I grumbled jokingly as I steadied myself.
"I don't know what a truck is, but I'm glad to hear it!" He yelled back with a tone of appreciation?
I was not able to discern the exact tone of his voice as he surged forward once more trying to slam into me. This time I had a trick up my sleeve. I probed moving to the right with my body, which prompted him to prepare to swing that way as I dodged. However, he was not expecting me to fake him out by then diving to the left, and by the time he realized it was too late as he was forced to swing his shield counterclockwise to recover from the momentum.
In the time he was swinging his shield around, I landed from my dive to deliver 6 rounds of bullets into his backside quickly. However, similar to the shotgun, they just bounced off and hit the ground, knocking up some dirt and grass in the process. Shit! I need something stronger, something bigger. Maybe if I had a Big Shot or something… wait, that sounds dumb. I was not able to dwell on my dumb thoughts as I forced myself to get up on my feet quickly before he could charge after finishing up his swiveling.
Alright, new plan. If swinging around and shooting him from the back does not work, maybe tripping him up will do something. But first, I need to slow him down, so that's why… I switched my form to my double-barrel shotgun once more and wielded it like a staff. I planted my feet quickly as best as I could, entrenched in the ground before facing the charging behemoth heading towards me.
"I highly doubt this will work, but at this point…" I groaned quietly as I turned to face Gorlith.
I braced for impact as nearly a moment later I felt the feeling of a car slamming into my outstretched hands which held my shotgun in an attempt to hold my ground. It was unsuccessful as I began to be quickly dragged across the mud, making me begin to lose my grip on the ground even as I did my best to stand firm. I did my best to keep my posture to avoid getting trampled, though it did not help I was getting hit by rocks and small debris kicking up from my ride.
Unlike the lizard men that one time where I have gotten an opportunity to distract them, or even overpower them, it was no use here. I glanced to my side to see everyone else in my party engaged with their own people. Faith was fighting with the priestess from the looks of it. As I saw a massive spray of bullets follow the Fox-like figure.
Nickoli was dealing with the robed person who initially was hurling rocks at us, which now seemed to affect Nickoli as he did his best to dodge. But with the WW1-esque tank, there is only so much he can do in terms of mobility, I suppose. No sight of Conrad though… Not that it mattered, he was probably fighting with the other person with the sword. I hope the experience Conrad has will make up for his old age.
"Eyes on the fight, little cub!" I heard Gorlith cry out as he suddenly stopped his advance.
The sudden stop made me lose my balance on the already very slippery mud due to the momentum built up. Unconsciously my hands began to flail around in a panic though that was my mistake as when I looked back up I saw Gorlith's shield being suddenly slammed towards me. I only had enough time to barely raise my hands up in a very botched attempt to block before I felt the hard metal slam into my hands and body.
The feeling of my fingers being slammed in between a closing door quickly was apparent as the impact hit me. With my balance already off there was nothing I could do as the sudden blow basically flung me in the opposite direction. The feeling of my organs being put in a blender and mixed up did not help me think about how to brace for landing. I landed back first into the mud but I was able to use the momentum to roll back onto my knees and stop.
Good to see at least one thing from soccer was able to save me here. No time to dwell on my skills though as I heard a familiar stomping straight at me almost as soon as I adjusted from my landing. I was getting tired, and I needed a new plan; everything I do seems to do little to nothing for him, and I do practically no damage. I would probably have better luck hitting a brick wall and destroying it than damaging him.
"You know, I don't think you just running into me is the best strategy," I coughed as I tried to catch my breath.
"Not much you can do with defense-oriented stats," He growled as he rapidly closed in on me.
I quickly dove to the side to avoid his charge; he tried to swing his arm to try to grab… air? I think he forgot I don't have a tail, but either way, I was well out of his reach by that time. He seems to be pretty much all defense but little to no attack. That would explain why I'm only down to a fourth HP even though I should have probably been killed long ago. Though this pretty much means this is a one-sided battle since even with all the methods I still do minimal to no damage.
"Would you mind not hopping from place to place so I can put an end to you?" Gorlith asked in a humorous tone.
I could only return a slight shake of my head as I was still trying to catch my breath from the last dodge I did. I swear at this rate my heart will probably burst with how damn fast it's thumping, then from me actually losing all my health. Okay, now that's a scary thought, let's—
I could only just barely stumble and roll to the side slightly as Gorlith ran right past me once more in an attempt to ram me. However, unlike before he pivoted mid-run and used the momentum instead to raise his shield and try to bring it down on top of me. My muscles, already pushed to their limits, were only just barely able to raise my shotgun in an attempt to stop him, only to feel the weight of a wrecking ball crash down on me.
My muscles almost immediately folded as they were forced to curl up to my chest in a futile attempt to prevent myself from popping like a mosquito on a fly swatter. No matter how hard I tried, my muscles would not bulge, almost as if they were stuck in place as the crushing weight began to get worse and worse. I could feel myself slowly sink into the wet mud below me, but even so, I felt the weight hammering down on me lower much faster along with my health.
My breaths got labored, I heard cracking where there definitely should not be, and I began to panic. I began to flail my legs around in an attempt to hit anything, but judging by the designs of the shield that was practically stabbing into me, he was not on that end. In one quick movement, I moved my right hand down to my side and switched the weapon form to the revolver again.
I brought my hand out to the side out of the shield and began to fire wildly at where I assumed he was. But I was quickly silenced by the crushing stomp of a foot on my hand, immobilizing it from the pain and also literally. Fuck! I winced in pain, but there was no point in trying to get my hand free as I felt the pressure on said hand also increase. Is he trying to break my damn hand?!
"This is the end, do you yield?!" I could hear Gorlith yell as he slightly decreased the pressure on my body, probably to let me respond.
This is my chance! It's now or never!
"WIRE, BIND, X!" I screamed out with every last fiber of my being, my lungs aching from the cry.
The ground shook for a few moments, and then, on command, large amounts of massive industrial-sized wires burst from the ground around me and Gorlith. The wires only had one target, Gorlith, and they surged forth like an octopus latching on to its prey as the large multitude seemingly targeted where he was standing. I knew that the wires had immobilized their target as I felt the crushing pressure of being compressed alleviate by a large amount, along with that his foot immediately got off my hand, freeing it.
While my body was starting to sound like it was about to snap like a damn twig, even now it refuses to just let me roll up and die like a worm. I was able to muster whatever strength my legs had and push myself out from under the shield. I was greeted by the sight of Gorlith being basically wrapped up like a mummy by a large number of wires wrapped and continuing to wrap around him.
I backed up and got on my feet as quickly as I could, I thanked whatever higher being exists for giving me this strength and energy I need to even keep moving. My lungs and heart are most definitely on the verge of collapse due to what I have been doing though. And my chest feels like I'm being stabbed by tiny needles every time I breathe, but then again, I'm pretty sure I always felt that and it just got worse.
Nonetheless, this whole thing is a lost cause; I can't fight this guy. He is quite literally a near indestructible object. The worse part is the fact that not even everyone is fighting; he only has himself and his three friends helping him, not the numerous others who are a distance away looking at us. This fight would have been over before it even started if they joined in.
Either way, we have to escape. Looking up at everyone's health, they seem to not be doing any better. We are all on half or less health, with Conrad having the highest followed by Faith, Nickoli then me at what looks like an eighth. Unless we get out of here we are just going to wear ourselves down and get captured, or worse, die. Well, either or is equally as bad considering what will follow capture most likely.
I turned to my right to where I heard the sound of rocks crumbling and smashing, to which I found Nickoli trying to fire upon the Robed guy who initially attacked us. His tank was seemingly being grappled and impeded from properly firing and aiming from vines that were grabbing and pulling at the side cannons and tracks. The robed person, from what I could make out, was off in the distance on an elevation just hurling whatever he has at Nickoli.
If I want something to happen, I need to try to steamroll a reaction, and I know just the catalyst. I switched my weapon form to my submachine gun and began to run toward the robed person as fast as my probably broken legs could go. I did my best to balance myself considering the rain turned this mostly flat field into a muddy mess; if only I had my football cleats…
No point complaining. If I want something done, at least in this hellhole of a world, I need to grab it by the throat and fire. Firm shoulders and an even pace were what Conrad taught me with the limited knowledge he had on gunfights, and I sure as hell hope it works now. I fired a volley upon volley of bullets at the figure and judging by the immediate panic, I can say my plan is working.
Luckily, this weapon form came with some sort of night vision, as not long after he conjured a massive rock from behind himself and hurled it straight at me. I quickly did a running sidestep to the side, almost slipping on the mud in the process, but I was able to save myself by fixing my posture. Once I recovered from my slight mishap, I continued to fire, and now much closer, I could see a couple of the bullets actually hit their target.
As soon as this happened, I heard the sound of loud wilting from behind me. Glancing back, I saw that the vines that were impeding Nickoli now dissipated, freeing his turrets. Looks like my theory was correct; in order to use magic, one needs to be focused on said magic at nearly all times to some extent depending on the spell. Therefore, if I can just break their concentration, their spell goes kaput.
Seeing how I was closing in, I saw them begin to panic and try to concentrate on something, probably a getaway spell or something. Not on my watch! I switched my weapon form once more, this time to my saber tooth tiger shotgun, and from it, shot rope. I couldn't exactly see as well anymore due to losing my equip effect of night vision, but judging by the heavy tug I got from my weapon, I hit my target.
Now to reel in the fish. I willed the rope to begin to retract back into my weapon, but it was not fast enough. If I don't do this quickly, then my window of opportunity will come slamming in my face. Following the rope as a lead, I sprinted forward, taking the rope into my weapon as I ran as fast as I could.
"Stop resisting; surrender now!" I hoarsely screeched.
"U-Unhand me!" a voice shrieked suddenly in a panic.
I don't have the damn time for this. Any moment and-
"RAUGHHHH!" a very loud scream echoed out behind me, where Gorlith was.
I glanced at my status; my SP bar was completely empty. Fuck.
"GORLITH HEL-"
"SURRENDER OR I BLOW YOUR DAMN BRAINS OUT!"
Instinctively, I aimed downward and shot the ground next to him, which made him tense up and freeze in place. I ran up behind him, put my left arm around his neck, and changed my weapon form to my Ore Viper Core Revolver, putting the barrel next to his skull behind him.
"Turn around, slowly, and don't try anything," I threatened in a low mutter.
He complied diligently, and I could feel his quivering from his body reverberating through my revolver. It's not like I'm much better, as I bet he could feel my heavy breathing on his neck even with his robe. Nickoli rolled up his tank beside me, and I could hear the sounds of his hatch opening, though I paid no mind to it.
"Alex, are you alright-"
"Shut it; it's time to make it or break it," I huffed aggressively.
"What? What do you mean-"
"ALEX, I have unsettled business with you!" I heard Gorlith roar a distance away from me.
I could almost feel the vibrations on the ground from his stomping, though it just as quickly stopped as he probably saw what was going on.
"EVERYONE STOP!" He yelled out to no one in particular.
The hairs on my body practically rose on their own from hearing that yell, but I did my best to hide it. I assume the same for many others as I saw Faith and the Fox Lady stop their fight. Along with that, Conrad and his opponent were off to the side nearing a forest, which would explain me not seeing him. Before I could assess more of the battlefield, Gorlith took two steps forward and stared right at me from a distance away.
"What is the meanin-"
"Shut it."
"You dare?!"
"Either you stop, or I blow this guy's brains out in front of everyone. I don't think that would be a great thing for you or him exactly," I threatened with a deadly scowl.
Gorlith seemed to have gotten the message, as many of the watching figures that were moving towards me stopped as he raised his left hand.
"Good. Now then, I have a proposition."
End of Chapter 23
Authors Notes:
Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter of Locked and Loaded, it's shorter than my last one but that is mainly due to it being mostly fighting. I'm not exactly the best at writing fights so I apologize for any bad choreography that is written in. I do my best and I hope to keep improving!
Be sure to give reviews on my work, I always check and it's greatly appreciated! You could even join the MWP Server with the link below if you want to chat with me directly, everything is appreciated! Even with Alex up against the wall he seems to be able to pull through, but will it work this time? Find out next time on Locked and Loaded in another world.
MWP Server: MWP Server: Dis co rd. gg / Bu ha 9 Qa Kz W
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Meanwhile in Flusio,
I awoke to a very familiar sight: the Capsarri tent roof and the crackling of a small fire. I tried to give a heavy sigh, but I was interrupted by a sudden pain spiking from my leg. I attempted to raise my head, but a sudden weakness overtook my senses. However, I couldn't let that stop me. Using my right arm to prop me up, I looked to see that there was a thick amount of cloth wrapped around my left leg.
"When did I get injured that ba-... The cargo."
My memories surged back: Iron Eagle, Attack, Escape… Did I let them escape? No, I didn't. Windfall held me back. It's his fault. Wait, no, he was trying to help me. That would explain why I feel so we-
"I'm happy to see you have come back Lia," a familiar voice cooed.
I turned to see Windfall standing near the opening of the tent. He seemed unaffected, but that is to be expected; a leader is not supposed to show weakness to one's subordinates. That just opens the gates for the wolves to hunt… Oh, right-
Attempting to get myself off the bed was met with my leg pulsing with pain. I winced, but that's to be expected after getting a crystal lodged in oneself.
"No need, at ease, it's alright," he said reassuringly.
"If you are Windfall," I murmured as I laid flat back on the rough coverlets.
There was some silence for a few moments, during which I checked if all my fingers and toes were intact from the fight. That… I don't know what was using some brand-new magic or… technology… to fight me. If that's what he has, an inexperienced… determined warrior, then what do others have?! No, no… He's probably a special case… hopefully…
"You were out for a few hours," he sighed suddenly.
"I see… I'm glad you're fine as well," I mumbled.
"But," he stated in a suddenly serious tone.
I raised my head instinctively to see him looking to the side in… shame…? We stood in silence for a few moments until he spoke up once more.
"Listen, the higher-ups heard what had happened from last night," he continued.
"And? It's not like one can avoid an Iron Eagle flying straight out of the castle in the middle of the night and not hear or see it," I said in a puzzled tone.
"Yes, though a lot of those reports given are… varying," he elaborated, more slowly, as if he wanted me to understand something.
"I don't understand what you are trying to say," I flatly stated.
"I'll be blunt with you: they think that you are the one who let them get away," he spat out.
"What?!" I yelled in a panic.
Me? Me? I was the one who was fighting with every single fiber of my being, albeit with a few moments of surprise, but it's not surprising. Still! Don't tell me…
"Yes, I tried to tell them otherwise, but it seems a few others have differing accounts to give," he somberly said.
"Why wouldn't they listen to you? Why listen to some… idiots who had nothing to do with the whole fight?!" I yelled in frustration as I tried to get up.
"I don't know; all I know is that they want a meeting with you," he finished.
"Why?!" I yelled at him angrily.
"Like I said, I don't know. It's out of my hands, and I'm pretty sure it's out of yours too," he grumbled in frustration. "I did my best to put in a good word."
"Really?! Is that it?! Is there nothing else you can do?!"
"I'm sorry," he said dejectedly as he walked out of the tent.
I tried to reach out to grab him, but I instead stumbled and fell almost face-flat. My leg was not making getting up easy. If only… If only… I should have dodged, I should have blocked better, I should have… have…
"It's not fair…"